Gaia's Prayer
by Onpu no Tegami
Summary: Her mother had always wanted the best for her. A true reincarnation of Gaia. She worked hard, and her daughter always appreciated it. But then the unthinkable happened. After she was shot by an angry stranger, her daughter went to live with her sister AU
1. A Tragic Incident

Oh yes, this is my new, written-entirely-by-me story. I'm not quite sure how this is going to go... since it's chapter by chapter (oh yes this dog's learning some new tricks!) but let's give it a try shall we? - Warning: this will have shounen-ai and probably suggested yoai. So all you homo-phobes can go... like... **now.** Oh by the way, this is an AU story in case you didn't notice

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, but of course... what a funny world it would be if I did._**

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Her mother had always wanted the best for her. A true reincarnation of Gaia. She worked hard, and her daughter always appreciated it. But then the unthinkable happened. After she was shot by an angry stranger, she daughter wet to live with her sister Anko in Konoha. But can anyone really get her out of this fake shell she's created for herself?**

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**Gaia**  
n. _Greek Mythology_  
The goddess of the earth, who bore and married Uranus and became the mother of the Titans and the Cyclopes**_

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_**-KATSUMI-**_

My mother had always wanted us to be happy. Me, my sister; she wanted a beautifully blessed life full of love and happiness for us. "Just you see," she would say. "Your life'll be as wonderful as a fairytale!" Anko always said it was because she didn't want us to turn out like 'tousan, old and angry, dying a lonely death. Without my father she had had to work hard, but she never complained. She worked and worked, and she became strong. My friends would always say they felt safe when their dad's were home, for me it was my mother. Her work didn't end after the day was done however. She pushed and pushed for us to get a better education, a better house, respect. Respect was a big one on her list. She thought us to hold our heads high, even when we were down. Anko managed to go to college and got a degree to teach; and so she moved to Konoha, leaving me and Okaasan in Mizhu. But my mom never stopped working, never stopped pushing. She wanted the same for me as Anko had gotten. Day in, day out, she worked to get me what Anko had gotten, but eventually she pushed someone too hard and then she found out.

_People sometimes push back._

It was a cold Saturday in February, and it had started snowing already. 'Kaasan had decided to stay home that day; she hated driving in the snow. "Too much ice hidden under the snow," she had said. If only she had gone to work instead. I was watching the fire in the small fireplace in our apartment, enjoying the warmth and energy as the flames leapt up from the log when a knock came at the door. She had gotten up, figuring she needed to get more hot chocolate anyway, and walked to the door. The moment she opened the door time started to slow down and I started to turn around before the shot even sounded, only to watch the blood splatter across the floor behind her, and then her limp form crumple to the floor. Footsteps were already sounding down the hallway towards the stairs as I rushed over to her body, trying to see if I could help, could save her. I had to be able to do something. My mother was strong she couldn't be dead. She couldn't be.

_She was._

I went over to the phone and dialed in the number shakily, my clothes stained with blood. **_Her blood._** Then I ran. I ran as fast as I could. I couldn't stay there. The image of her body haunted my mind as I ran, stumbling over occasional rifts in the snow. I fell over a few times, but I didn't care. I kept running and running and running, until finally I found myself in front of an apartment building in Konoha. _How had I run all the way to Konoha?_ The city was at least 5 miles from Mizhu; it should have taken me at least half an hour. More importantly, whose house had I run to? I stumbled over to the buzzer and pressed it. A happy sounding voice answered, "Konoha Height Apartments, who are you here for?"

I held down the button as I responded. "I… I'm not quite sure…" I could hear myself sounding so unsure, but I tried not to think about it. The girl made an impatient sound.

"How could you not know who you're here for? There are over 100 people living in this building! It's not like I can just read off all the- oh, good afternoon to you too Miss Mitarashi. As I was saying-"

I pushed down the button again. "Mitarashi Anko. I'm here for Mitarashi Anko!" Within a millisecond my sister's form was rushing through the doors, taking me into a warm and scared embrace.

"Katsumi-imoutochan! Why're you here?! Where's Okaa- kami... why're you covered in blood?!" She let me out of the hug only momentarily, moving so that she had an arm around my shoulder, her jacket on my shoulders now, as she led me into the building and up to her apartment. It was much how I would have expected it to be like. Old sports magazines littered the floors and dirty dishes were piled in the sink. I would have laughed if I hadn't been so traumatized. She sat me down in an oversized arm chair that I sank into as she put her hands on my shoulders and looked me in the eyes. "What happened, Katsumi-imoutochan…?" The look in my sister's almond eyes scared me. She was afraid; Anko was never afraid. But I couldn't say anything. I tried again and again, but no words escaped my throat. I wanted so much just to cry, to crumble into my sister's loving arms and just sob, but my body wouldn't allow me to.

After a few minutes the phone ran and she reluctantly stopped her hysterical shaking of my shoulders to pick it up, keeping her voice steady with incredible effort. It was the police in Mizhu, they had arrived at the scene and were looking for me. They wanted me in for questioning, but assured her it was just for protocol. She asked what had happened and why they needed to speak to me, and her voice started to crack. When they responded her entire body fell; my mother had been murdered. I could hear her choke on the words as she said that I was with her and that she'd bring me to the police station in Iwa, before hanging up. I knew she wanted to cry, just like I did. We both just wanted to sit there and sob together like small children, but she got herself up, composing herself as she walked over. "You didn't do anything did you?" I shook my head. I hadn't done anything. It was the stranger. I had heard him knock. I had heard him walk down the hall for his getaway. I had smelt the smoke from his gun when I had hugged my dead mother.

She nodded to show she believed me. We were all we had now; me and her. She helped me out of the chair, giving me one of her heavy sports jackets to wear outside since it was still snowing, and we walked down to the street, getting into her old pickup truck. The drive to Mizhu was less then 10 minutes, but my mind was still blurry and everything felt like I was in a dream. The police led me into a room by myself, much to my sister's protests, and started asking me questions. What did I remember happening? Did I see the man? Things like that, over and over. They were redundant, asking me the same question several times repeatedly, as though I would change my answer drastically. After they were done they asked if I could change into a set of clothes they had sent my sister to go get, and they put the blood-soaked clothes in a baggie. Then they let me go back to my sister and we drove back to her apartment. During the ride I caught a glimpse of her next to me in the truck, and she looked so old, so very old. I felt guilty that my sister now looked so much older then she really was.

_Why did this happen?_

When we got out of the truck she grabbed the large duffel bag she had packed for me while I was being interrogated and walked through the doors. I started to follow her but I nearly fell over as someone knocked into me. I looked over at them immediately with fear, my nerves already tightly wound from the incident.

"Watch where you're-" the person started but stopped mid sentence as his eyes met mine. It felt like a lifetime before he opened his mouth again, this time much softer. "A… are you okay?" He pouted a bit, looking to the side and crossing his arms over his chest. I normally would have laughed, or at least smiled, at his defensiveness, but not today. I nodded my head slowly and looked down. I could see my hands were shaking. His tough-guy act faltered a moment as he noticed my trembling, his hand reaching out to touch my arm. "No seriously…"

I immediately pulled my arm away, stepping back a few steps as an instinct. I felt like an injured animal in a cage, but I subconsciously regretted it as I saw a hurt look cross his face. "See you around then I guess." He jammed his hands in his pockets irritably and walked away. I just stood there and watched until his vibrant red hair disappeared down a side-street. My emotions were running haywire in my mind, so I figured the dropping feeling in my stomach was just from the trauma, and finally followed my sister up to her apartment.

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I know I'm horrible with updating but you people should know... reviews make the best motivation, ne? So review. Tell me if it's good, bad, absolutely out there... oh yes. I take flames when they're in due.


	2. Mesmerizing Blue Eyes

What'dya know? Only one day and I wrote a new chapter! Ah well, one can only wish that I continue on the straight and narrow. But, hark! A faithful reviewer! -hugs-

Lindsay-chan: Yes, the red-headed one is Gaara... as you will see momentarily. Thank you for coming back and reading my new story! It makes me feel loved! ;-;

** - Warning: this will have shounen-ai and probably suggested yoai. So all you homo-phobes can go... like... ****now. Oh by the way, this is an AU story in case you didn't notice-**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, but of course... what a funny world it would be if I did._**

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_Her mother had always wanted the best for her. A true reincarnation of Gaia. She worked hard, and her daughter always appreciated it. But then the unthinkable happened. After she was shot by an angry stranger, she daughter wet to live with her sister Anko in Konoha. But can anyone really get her out of this fake shell she's created for herself?_

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_**Mesmerize** n.  
1. to hypnotize  
2. to spell-bind; fascinate  
3. to compel by fascinati__on _

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_**-Gaara-**_

What a horrible night for this. It was snowing, big surprise in February, and my father had kicked me out again. I think it was scotch this time… last time it was rum. He could have at least let me grab a coat, but what could I do about it? He was twice the size of me, if not more, and god forbid Temari or Kankuro should help me. **'No don't get them into this.' **I tried Naruto's door but he wasn't home, so I just kept walking down the street. Never the face; I always asked him never to hit my face. People can see them when they're on my face, the bruises. I can wear long sleeves to hide my arms, but I can't hide my face. I was always thankful, I guess, that he very rarely hit my face; it made the beatings worse, but it was a small price to pay.

I guess I had been distracted though while I was walking since I suddenly crashed into someone, nearly knocking the person over. "Watch where you're-" I was about to yell at them; curse, scream, get out all of my frustration on this poor soul like I normally did. But then I saw the most beautiful pale blue eyes looking back at me. They belonged to a girl, the one I had unfortunately bumped into. Or was it unfortunate?

I found myself being lost in her eyes. They were hypnotizing; cloudy, yet emotional. Her long black hair made them stand out even more, contrasting with her pale skin. Suddenly, I snapped out of it and realized I had been staring for quite a while. I tried to redeem myself, crossing my arms over my chest and trying to look like I wasn't affected, but my voice was gentler when I spoke again, "A… are you okay?" Damn, my voice had faltered. I had a minor mental spaz at this, wishing I hadn't done that, but then I looked down at her hands and noticed they were trembling. I felt my resolve melt away quickly and I reached out to touch her arm. "No seriously…" But then she suddenly pulled back, as though I had hurt her or something. I felt hurt. _What had I done to cause a reaction like that from her? I was just being considerate!_ I jammed my hands in my pockets again, much to my sore arms' dismay. "See you around then I guess."

I walked off angrily, and steamed for a while. I had just been being considerate and she goes and jerks away like I had just slapped her or something! _What does she know about pain?!_ But then I remembered her eyes again, and just the way she had looked. **'She knows pain very well,'** I told myself. Something had just happened to her and I had only just realized how vulnerable and scared she had looked. I hadn't caused that fear, something else had. For the remainder of my walk I thought only about her. Why hadn't I seen her before? Maybe she had just moved there. But for some reason her hair had looked vaguely familiar; it wasn't quite black, but a darkish purple color. I shrugged and decided to ask Kankuro about it when he came to find me. Looking at my watch I found out it was 11:40. I had been out for around 4 hours, he should be coming soon.

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Right on schedule, Kankuro arrived in his old, black Subaru Outback. He drove along the side of the empty side walk for a moment slowly before parking, rolling down the window… yes, _rolling. _"Get in squirt!" As usual, his voice lacked any sort of authority, but it was filled with concern. I stopped, momentarily thinking about not getting in the car, but the thought passed and I opened the door, climbing into the heated interior and rolling up the window. Kankuro didn't move the car out of park. He knew I didn't want to go home quite yet, and he wanted to talk. "Why didn't you run…?"

I snarled, huffing. "Like that really would have helped? Oh yea, a thin piece of wood is really going to stop him!" I was being more sarcastic then I intended. He looked down, as though ashamed he hadn't helped me.

"Gaara… I-"

"Just drop it alright?" I crossed my arms over my chest and looked out the window. For a few minutes we just sat like that in silence. I could feel my stomach drop in guilt, noticing his upset look. Once I couldn't take the silence anymore I turned back to face him. "Do we know anyone with dark purple hair…?"

"I think Anko-sensei does… why?" He looked at me suspiciously as though I was some sort of crazy serial killer. Actually, maybe he had a reason to be like that. I didn't answer his question, just responding with another one.

"Does she have a younger sister?"

"I don't know."

Silence again. So maybe the girl was Anko-sensei's younger sister. Now that I thought about it, they did look quite similar, except for her eyes. I once again lost myself thinking about her eyes, but was jarred back to reality when Kankuro shook my leg, asking if I was alright. I nodded and said I was, mentally cursing myself. _Why did I keep daydreaming about her eyes? _Kankuro shifted the car into drive, with a mild grunt of complaint coming from the engine, before he sped off towards home. That night I could barely sleep. I kept thinking about what had made that girl so scared… and wondering why I cared so much.

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_**-Anko-**_

I hadn't seen my sister in over a year, so the surprise I felt when I heard her voice was intense. But then the surprise turned into fear when I saw her. Where was our mother? Katsumi was only 16 years old, and our mother had never allowed her to walk too far alone. When I pulled back from the hug I had engulfed her in I noticed she was covered in blood. _Whose blood was that?_ I immediately remembered every action movie I'd ever seen where the murderer shows up at their family's house so they'll hide them. I hoped to any god that would listen that this wasn't the case. I led her up to my apartment when she wouldn't respond to my voice, shooting a glare at the secretary to show her not to call the police. Sitting her down in my arm chair I looked into her eyes to see if she was guilty of doing anything, but what I saw scared me even more though. In my sister's familiar pale eyes was more fear then I'd ever seen in anyone, but they were also cloudy and distant. It scared me. My sister was no longer the same person. I shook her to try and get her to say something, say something familiar so I would know it was her, but she said nothing.

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After the police station, I brought her back to my apartment with some of the things I had packed from her room. It wasn't everything, but we'd have to wait until the detectives were done to get the rest. I set her up on the couch, giving her two pillows from my closet and an old fluffy blanket that I had never used before. Before I went to bed I made sure she had everything she needed and hugged her again tightly. I didn't want to ever let her go, never again, but I did and gave her a weak smile before going to bed myself. I couldn't sleep all night, and in the morning I started preparations for her to go to the school I worked at; Konoha High School. **'As long as I can watch over her, nothing will happen to her.'**

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Alrighty then, send a review please and don't leave Lindsay-chan all alone in my review box! And pray I remember to post the next chapter tomorrow. -**  
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	3. A game to Hide the Pain

Two days this time, although I had this chapter finished yesterday, but I wanted to give time for reviews... -sighs- oh well. Maybe later on. -dreams- Look below for translation notes as well.

Lindsay-chan: Yes, you are very loved! YOU ACTUALLY READ MY STORIES!

** - Warning: this will have shounen-ai and probably suggested yoai. So all you homo-phobes can go... like... ****now. Oh by the way, this is an AU story in case you didn't notice-**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, but of course... what a funny world it would be if I did.

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_Her mother had always wanted the best for her. A true reincarnation of Gaia. She worked hard, and her daughter always appreciated it. But then the unthinkable happened. After she was shot by an angry stranger, she daughter wet to live with her sister Anko in Konoha. But can anyone really get her out of this fake shell she's created for herself?_

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_Trauma- n.  
1. an experience that produces psychological injury or pain  
2. the psychological injury so caused. _

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_**-Katsumi-**_

As I walked into the old building that was Konoha High with Anko, I felt my stomach drop. Another High School, life was supposedly back to order. It had been just a week since my mother had been murdered and they still hadn't found the killer. Meanwhile, Anko had moved all my necessary stuff to her apartment and my new room was her living room. I felt bad for my sister; she was being given so much responsibility now. She never asked for any of this. But, of course, I didn't make things any easier. I had barely spoken in the past 7 days, maybe three times in all, and I always avoided her touch. I hated the way I acted towards her; she was nothing but kind and loving to me, and I was being a bitch. Even worse off was when she saw the cuts on my arms, thinking I was being one of those suicidal emo kids who go around crying all day and cutting themselves for fun. The real reason I cut myself is much more spiritual; every time someone close to me dies I make a cut. It's never life-threatening, just deep enough to leave a scar. And so up and down my arms I have neat, orderly scars from the death of loved ones; my four grandparents, my father, two of my friends who had died in a car accident two years before, and now my mother.

I looked around the somewhat empty halls; it was over half an hour before classes started. The only reason I was there was because Anko had to set up for her classes, plus she said it would be best to get my schedule early to look at the room numbers and see where they were. She brought me around to my first three classrooms; Calculus, Physics, and English, before she had to go to the gym to set up. I then wandered around to find the rest of my classes. History and Japanese were relatively easy, but I got lost on the way to the band room. While wandering around, trying to find the band room, this kid came up to me and asked if I was lost. He had this goofy grin on his face and was running a hand through his blond hair. At first I wanted nothing to do with the strange boy, but I remembered I needed to find the classroom and he looked harmless; so, I nodded. He grabbed my hand and shook it energetically. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto! You're new right?" I nodded. "So what's your name, new kid?"

I didn't want to speak, and my throat was just not used to talking at this point; however, I forced my voice to work, although very quietly. "Mitarashi Katsumi."

"Hey, can I see your schedule…?" This Naruto kid seemed alright, I decided and nodded, handing him my schedule. "Wow! Um… we have… lunch and Gym together…" He laughed. "Oh well. I think my friend Haku has a bunch of classes with you though… and Gaara too."

"What is it now, Naruto?" The irritable voice came as a surprise to both of us, being that he was just a bit smaller then Naruto and had snuck up behind him. The blond nearly jumped into my arms in surprise.

"Gaara! Don't scare me like that!" The boy known as Gaara shrugged. I looked at him a little closer though; I swore I knew that red hair from somewhere. And then my eyes met his green ones again and I remembered; he was the boy who had bumped into me on the night my mother had been killed. It appeared he recognized me too, his almost non-existent eyebrow twitching, and his eye-liner covered eyes slightly widening… very slightly. Naruto, apparently, was oblivious. "This is the new girl, Katsumi-chan. She got lost trying to find her classes."

Gaara looked like he was daydreaming for a moment, but he suddenly snapped out of it, muttering a curse under his breath. "What's her schedule?"

"She has everything but 3rd and 7th period with you; English and Band instead of German and Drama." The stupid grin on Naruto's face never left it, his blue eyes sparkling like the lights on a Christmas tree. Gaara rolled his eyes at the blond's excitement, running a hand through his short messy hair to reveal a red ai tattoo on his forehead.

"How very interesting... Look Naruto, there's only 5 minutes until the bell. You might want to go to your class… unless you want to be late again." At Gaara's annoyed statement Naruto started hurrying to make sure he had everything in his bag, and then started running to his class with a wave. Gaara looked over at me again, looking into my eyes for a few moments again before he shook his head, starting to walk away. "You coming or not?" I nodded and walked over to where he was waiting for me and we walked to 1st period together. Even though Gaara wasn't the talkative time, it was nice, I realized, to walk to classes with someone and sit next to them. I hadn't had someone like that since the car accident. Plus, it's not like I was talking much either, so we made good company for each other. All went relatively well for my first day; I missed Gaara during English but met this other… kid, Haku. At first I wasn't quite sure what it was, but it assured me it was a boy, so he became someone I could sit with during that period. And then… lunch.

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_**-Naruto-**_

I saw Gaara and the new girl walk into the cafeteria together and I waved them over to our table. Tenten was poking at the science-experiment-gone-wrong on her lunch tray, Sai was doodling in that book of his… as usual, and Tayuya was playing tic-tac toe with herself. Temari and I were the only ones that noticed as Gaara and Katsumi sat down at the table together, there was a spark. It could be that I've watched one too many chick flicks with Iruka… but I swore I saw a spark between them and I could see Temari saw it too. We gave each other a glance and she almost laughed. Apparently, she had found the fact that Gaara liked someone quite funny. Anyway, they both sat down and then Kankuro showed up just after them, plopping down next to Temari, him and Gaara started talking about a conversation they had started earlier.

"Don't worry Gaara. Me and Tay'll take great care of the newbie." He always had this grin on his kabuki-painted face that made him look like a fox. It was really funny. Gaara nodded once, giving him a look that anyone who knew him meant "You better." Kankuro decided to change the subject a bit, asking Katsumi a question directly. "So what instrument do you play newbie?"

She was silent for a while, like she wasn't used to talking and had to warm up her vocal chords or something before she could talk. After a good 5 minutes, she finally responded, "I play the guitar." Her voice was so quiet, especially in the cafeteria.

"Ah! The guitar! 'Bout time we got a guitarist. Though I warn you, you're gonna have to play loud; Tay can blow even the Tuba's away with volume!" He laughed, ducking as Tayuya through her pen at him angrily, using about 5 curses I didn't even know. "Chill Tay, you might scare the newbie away!" Everyone except Sai, Gaara, and Katsumi laughed, but I was getting a little suspicious that not even Tayuya could scare her away from him. I felt a bit sick.

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_**-Gaara-**_

I recognized her immediately as those mesmerizing blue eyes stared back into my own; Katsumi, the girl that plagued my mind. _Damn her!_ Naruto was gabbing on about something, and the word lost stuck out. I asked to see her schedule to find out she had all but two classes with me. I wondered why I even cared that she had any classes with me at all, and cursed myself when I didn't know the answer, but when I looked into her eyes again it became clear; I wanted to protect her. She looked so lost, so helpless. **'Dammit she's affecting my brain!' **I sighed; oh well. If I was going to develop feelings now, she might as well be the one they're for. I'd always imagined the first girl I liked to be drop dead gorgeous or something (Maybe I watched too many movies with Naruto and his foster dad), but she wasn't sexy or exotic or gorgeous. Then again, a girl like that would probably never suit me. Wearing no makeup at all both times I had met her, Katsumi was naturally pretty. Her long, straight, dark hair framed her face and hung like a sort of veil. Her skin was pale, and although there were slight bags under her eyes, it didn't really take away from her appearance. She was thinner then me (that's saying something), and was slightly curved… but not overly like Anko-sensei. _She's just scary. _Katsumi was plain, but tormented my mind nonstop; it drove me crazy.

Of course I didn't notice all this in our 2 minute conversations, but in our classes instead. I normally just slept during class since the material was easy, but today I just stared at her, looking away every time someone looked over suspiciously. I couldn't let anyone know I liked her, that was for sure, but during lunch I saw a dangerous glint in Temari's eye as I sat down. She knew. I mentally spazzed, desperately hoping she wouldn't point it out, and she didn't. Apparently though, Naruto also knew, because they sent each other a glance before I started talking to Kankuro. _Great, just great. _

I had told Kankuro to watch after Katsumi during band, since I didn't want anyone going near her. She barely spoke, maybe once the whole day, and didn't really react to anything. I hoped she didn't have some sort of… problem, like me. Kankuro immediately agreed to take care of her with Tayuya and I felt relieved; no one messed with Tayuya.

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After gym was over I went to talk to Anko-sensei since I figured Katsumi was her sister so she would know something, but I found her in the gym talking to her. "Come on, imoutochan. I haven't played with you for years and I have another 10 minutes before the team shows up." Sensei's voice was encouraging, but I could tell it was begging. So she acted no different around Anko either. I could see Katsumi shake her head slowly. "Onegai imouto…"1 She looked up for a moment before giving in, sighing defeatedly. Sensei grabbed a basketball from the bin next to her and passed it to Katsumi quickly. I was sure for a moment the throw would knock her over since Sensei didn't know her own strength and often knocked over some pretty big guys, but Katsumi caught it as though it had been a light toss. I was amazed to say the least, and so were Naruto, Tay and Tenten who had seen me watching and came over.

"Sugoi…"2 We all just watched as Sensei and Katsumi passed it between each other twice before starting their game.

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_**-Katsumi-**_

Onee-chan had begged me to play, and I could tell this was her last hope at trying to get a reaction from me. I didn't want to; I just wanted to go curl up in a corner. Every moment I spent with my sister reminded me of my mother, and I detested it, but I loved my sister and felt bad for avoiding her. It wasn't her fault; it's just the way it was.

She passed a ball to me with her normal intensity and I caught it, used to the ferocity. I passed it back and we passed twice, as usual for us, before I set off down the court. She had several advantages; I hadn't played in several years, as well as the fact that she was wearing comfortable clothes while I was wearing jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. I didn't care though as I dribbled the ball towards her hoop, losing myself in the familiar game. I almost felt normal again, like nothing had happened. She tried to block me and managed to knock the ball out of my hands, but I zipped it back into my control again quickly. I had a slight advantage to my side as well; I was quick. My flat chest and small framed gained me agility, whereas Anko had to rely on strength. I finally ran close enough to take a shot and all I could here was the _Swoosh_ as it went through. I almost smiled… but I couldn't bring myself to. "You should join the basket ball team, Katsumi-imoutochan!" I shook my head no. "Why not? Don't tell me-"

"Yes, it's because Okaasan alright?!" I felt bad for snapping, but she had pushed me too far. I let the ball drop to the floor, walking to grab my stuff, muttering angrily as I past her. "You should respect the deads' wishes." She watched me leave silently, completely speechless. I was embarrassed to see Gaara and three of the others watching, but I just continued walking, leaving the school to walk back to the apartment. Once I got outside though I saw Gaara catch up to me and he started walking next to me. We walked in silence for a while until finally I couldn't stand it anymore. "My mother was murdered last week, that's why I'm here. No other reason." I hated the way I sounded angry at him, like he had done something wrong. I felt odd around him, he was different then everyone else; I didn't want to be quiet around him.

He remained silent, but reached over, almost tentatively at first, and grabbed my hand, holding it and continuing to walk. I followed him, almost surprised at his action, but soon forgetting and just welcoming the silent comfort he gave as his hand held mine. I knew he would deny ever doing this, and probably would never do anything even close ever again, but I didn't care. I enjoyed the present, and my dreams of it happening again.

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1: "Onegai imouto" Please younger sister 

2: "Sugoi…" Amazing…

Thank you for reading! Although it's probably only Lindsay-chan that's reading... but still! Thank you Lindsay-chan! Please keep reviewing!


	4. Conversations in the Rain

Is this story really that bad...? But alas! I will continue... if only for Lindsay-chan...

Lindsay-chan: Well if you think about it, she grew up with Anko's strength so... you get used to it. Right? XD I might put that in though.

** - Warning: this will have shounen-ai and probably suggested yoai. So all you homo-phobes can go... like... ****now. Oh by the way, this is an AU story in case you didn't notice-**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, but of course... what a funny world it would be if I did._**

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_Her mother had always wanted the best for her. A true reincarnation of Gaia. She worked hard, and her daughter always appreciated it. But then the unthinkable happened. After she was shot by an angry stranger, she daughter wet to live with her sister Anko in Konoha. But can anyone really get her out of this fake shell she's created for herself?_

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_**PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) n.**__  
an anxiety disorder associated with serious traumatic events and characterized by such symptoms as survivor guilt, reliving the trauma in dreams, numbness and lack of involvement with reality, or recurrent thoughts and images__**

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_**-Gaara-**_

The next day in school neither of us mentioned the day before. I wanted to hold her hand again, but I didn't even try it; I was dead scared anyone would find out I had even done it at all. My pride had been hurt enough since I had met her, right? That wasn't the thing restraining my, so much as the fear of getting rejected. She was just getting over trauma, probably had PTSD; she probably was just reaching out to anyone willing to catch her. But I found myself oddly over eager to catch her, always doubting my reasoning. **'Always with the probablys.' **I had never felt like this about anyone, and the uncertainty drove me even crazier then the fact.

Temari had found this quite funny, and, even worse, had told Kankuro. Now I could feel their mocking stares every time I walked in the door. I hated it. I found myself even angrier, especially around her, but I couldn't bring myself to avoid her. By the end of the day I felt sick with guilt. She never once struck back every time I yelled or snapped at her; she just took it with a silent nod. Tenten and Tayuya walked with us on Friday since Tenten's practice had been cancelled due to rain, and Tayuya had wanted to go to a store near Katsumi's apartment; that was the only reason they were even walking with us. Even though Katsumi wasn't the only one around, she was still the focus of my frustration. I cursed myself every time I snapped at her. She stepped on my foot accidentally.

"Watch it Katsumi-!" _Dammit I did it again!_ But finally Tayuya stepped in, putting her arm around Katsumi as though to protect her from me.

"What the fuck is your problem?! You've been snapping at her like she fucking murdered your brother or something!" Tenten went on the other side of Katsumi, also putting an arm around her.

"Seriously! You've been at her all week! Look at her; she's cowering!" At Tenten's comment I noticed that Katsumi had, indeed, been cowering from me as I yelled at her. I felt even sicker then before. _I had caused Katsumi to be scared of me; I was just like my father. _For a moment, my pride prevented me from doing anything other then snarl and turn away, little drops of rain flicking from my soaking hair. "You're fucking despicable!" I felt the words cut through my defense, stabbing my heart. Tayuya started to guide Katsumi away, but I reached out and grabbed her arm.

"Wait… let me…" I struggled for the words; I wasn't used to apologizing. But suddenly, the image of my father flashed through my memory and the words came rushing. "Let me apologize to her. Please." For a few minutes we just stood there in the pouring rain as Tayuya thought about this, before she responded.

"Fine, but we're not leaving her with you so you can just go back to snapping at her." _Fuck. _I didn't want them to see me apologize, couldn't I salvage just a bit of honor? The smallest bit of my reputation? But they shook their heads stubbornly; Tayuya and Tenten were not leaving me alone with Katsumi until they saw me apologize. I sighed, running my hand through my soaking wet hair as Tenten and Tay let go of Katsumi and walked away a few steps, only to watch. Katsumi stood in front of me, silent as normal, looking at the ground. She looked so… small, and I felt another pang of guilt.

"Katsumi, I- I'm sorry." She just stood there quietly, nodding slightly as if saying she forgave me, but suddenly her image blurred and she was a younger me, all bruised up and apologetic for whatever I had done. The illusion left as quickly as it had appeared, but it shook me. I reached my hand out tentatively, my hand retracting slightly every time my mind tried to talk me out of touching her and getting involved, but I refused to be shaken this time and gently put my palm to her cheek for a few minutes before pulling her into my arms. For a moment she didn't move, probably just surprised, but I held her close, one hand on the back of her head and the other rubbing her back softly. I didn't care anymore; I was going to show her affection and just how much she affected me.

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_**-Katsumi-**_

I almost died when he caressed my cheek, but when he pulled me into his arms I knew I wouldn't be able to hold myself up. He held me close to him and rubbed my back, and after a few minutes I snapped out of it and put my arms around his waist, nuzzling my face into his collar. I felt relieved; after the past week I was sure he hated me, but after this I wasn't so sure. I could tell Tenten and Tayuya were still in shock as they watched us, but for once it appeared Gaara didn't care, and I loved it. In the comfort of his embrace and his warmth, though, I found the intense desire to just cry, and let it all out. I didn't want to ruin the moment though; he had finally shown some emotion other then annoyance towards me, and that was all that mattered. After a while of this he pulled back, but barely let me out of his embrace, moving me so I was next to him and he had one arm around me, starting to walk towards my apartment again. I didn't protest at all, allowing him to guide me away from the gaping girls.

After we were out of sight and hearing range of Tayuya and Tenten he spoke again, although his voice was low. "I really am sorry." He had this guilty look on his face, like when your puppy chews up your new shoes; it was completely adorable. I nodded, speaking again just as we reached the over hang of the door to the apartment, normally where he leaves me silently.

"I know. I forgive you." I tried to smile, to reassure him, but I wasn't quite up to that yet. I looked down when I realized, not knowing what else to do. Suddenly I felt his warm hand on my cheek again, lifting my head so I was looking at him.

"Maybe I'll see you tomorrow, depending on Kankuro's insane plans of course." He seemed irritated at his brother as he said that, but I nodded, hoping I would.

"Don't get too wet." He nodded, taking his hand from my cheek again and jamming it in his pocket before walking off down the soaked street.

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Why do I bother? R/R 


	5. Solitude in a School

Yay! Finally a new reviewer! Maybe my luck is changing! Anywho, sorry for the late update, I was sick for a week and then had a Dir en Grey concert (that was AWESOME) last night.So now I'm motivated, with my signed-by-Shinya poster on my wall!

Lindsay-chan: You were right!  
Invader Q: THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING! And for the compliment. Yes, I haven't been very good this week… but I'll try to update quicker in the future. I was bloody sick all week.

** - Warning: this will have shounen-ai and probably suggested yoai. So all you homo-phobes can go... like... ****now. Oh by the way, this is an AU story in case you didn't notice-**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, but of course... what a funny world it would be if I did._**

* * *

**_

_Her mother had always wanted the best for her. A true reincarnation of Gaia. She worked hard, and her daughter always appreciated it. But then the unthinkable happened. After she was shot by an angry stranger, she daughter wet to live with her sister Anko in Konoha. But can anyone really get her out of this fake shell she's created for herself?_

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**_Love_****_ n._******  
_1.__ a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person   
2. a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend   
3. a person toward whom love is felt; beloved person; sweetheart __**

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_**-Kankuro-**_

I'd fallen out of my chair when Tay had called and told me. _Gaara, my brother, had shown affection towards the new girl!_ Even better yet; it was in the form of a hug! I thought I was going to die! I ran into Temari's room and pulled her up from the chair she was sitting in, dancing around with my confused sister. "What the hell are you on Kankuro?!" I grinned as widely as my Kabuki would allow.

"Gaara hugged the new girl!"

She nearly fell over. "K-Katsumi?!"

"Yep! Tayuya just called and told me!" I was giddy as when dad had gotten Temari her brand new car. Gaara had finally opened up! It was a huge relief after… the incident. I still had nightmares about that day, but now it could never happen again! Gaara cared about someone other then himself; _loved somebody._ He wouldn't be careless anymore! He wouldn't forget to take his pills! He wouldn't cut himself anymore! Finally something went right!

"Temari do you know what this means?!"

"Kankuro… this could be a problem." Her serious tone worried me; she always thought of things before I did. "Depending on how attached he gets-"

"This could set him over the edge if he gets hurt." My voice was grim as I finished her sentence for her and my stomach dropped. _Shit I hadn't thought of that!_ Gaara had a bad tendency to put everything into things that were special to him. Relationships died for stupid reasons all the time; what was going to happen when this one died? I now dreaded him becoming too attached to Katsumi, but he had already taken the fall; he had hugged her. Gaara didn't speak and Gaara didn't touch, those were his rules for nearly every human being; the only exception being Naruto, but he had _hugged_ this girl he had barely known for a week. It was more then odd. He was more then attached at this point, now all we could do was try and prevent her from hurting him. This was going to be hard…

Temari frowned as she heard the door open and then slam shut; Gaara. We both looked out the window to notice it was pouring. _How long had he been out there?!_ We rushed down to the entranceway where our younger brother was peeling off as many soaked-through layers as possible. He was visibly shivering. "Gaara! You're soaked through!" Temari ran over to him, but he stopped her before she touched him.

"Don't touch me. I'm fine." He walked past both of us, going up the stairs to his room, presumably to change. He came back down a moment later in a t-shirt and jeans. "Dad on a trip?" Temari nodded. "Good." He walked pass us again into the living room.

"N… nani?! What happened Gaara?!" Temari followed him into the living room, and I followed her. He plopped down on the couch and looked at us questioningly. "Tayuya-"

He snarled. "Damn her!" He looked like he was thinking for a moment before looking back up at us dangerously. "Do not mention what Tayuya told you… ever. And don't try to set me up with Katsumi." We looked at each other before looking at him innocently. "Seriously. Don't." He was in a bad mood, but it seemed different then normal; more content. Still, it was best not to test him. We nodded again, deciding if we were going to not to let him know, and slinking off while we had our heads.

-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-

The next day the rain had only gotten worse and was switching between snow and rain, much to our disappointment. The three of us sat in the living room since, for the most part, our heat was out, but in the living room it was warm because of the fireplace. Apparently luck wasn't on our side, we decided, as the power went out. The lines had probably frozen, but Gaara was pissed. He didn't do well in the cold, or in the wet… or in the dark. Basically this was hell, and we were stuck with him. After about an hour of sitting in the dark with Gaara brooding, we decided to go annoy Anko-sensei with his brooding. Unfortunately though, she wasn't home, and neither was her –crazy- sister. We were just about to leave when we run into Tenten, literally.

"Hey watch- oh hey guys!" as usual, her angry look turned into a smile, but it didn't stay for long. "Can't talk, Katsumi's gone missing!" I thought Tenten's head would fall off as Gaara grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her.

"What?! Where- where is she?" He had tried to calm himself down, but we had already seen the emotion. Who was this weird kid and what had he done with my apathetic, homicidal, little, emo brother?

"We don't know! She seemed to be fine! We were just talking and she cut her hand on something, started freaking out and ran out!" Tenten's words came out quickly to hasten Gaara's releasing off her shoulders, which happened soon after. I put my hand on his shoulder to calm him down, but he quickly shrugged it off like he normally did.

"Where's Anko-sensei?"

"Searching their old town."

"She won't be there… where's Tayuya?"

"She's searching the routes and any quiet place in between here and the school…"

"I'll check the school."

"But it's-"

"Like I said, I'll check the school." And with that he ran out of the building and off in the direction of the school. This made me worry. Then again, everything Gaara does makes me worry, but this… something was off. I didn't like this one bit, but there was nothing I could do; nothing I could say. I was helpless to stop him, so I turned to Tenten and asked how I could help. Temari, Tenten and I started searching the rest of the town incase Katsumi had met someone we didn't know about in the school… but I knew Gaara would be the one to find her.

_**-Katsumi-**_

I don't know why it had set me off, but the moment I saw that small drop of blood slide from my finger I was overcome with warped memories from that night. My entire world just twisted with illusions of that night. I felt someone try to grab my hand, to check how much I was bleeding, but no sooner had their fingers gotten close enough to raise the hair on the back of my hand I pulled away quickly. I started to panic, seeing everyone around me as that bastard who had murdered my mother. The room started to spin and I looked down at my hand seeing way more blood then there probably was. Bolting out, I knew I had lost it, but I was more scared of that room then what was wrong with me at that moment.

After running for about a mile I stopped for a bit, resting and noticing it was pouring. I didn't mind the rain, but it was windy and cold, and lightning and thunder were threatening. I was already soaked through. _How far had I really run?_ I looked around me to see if I knew where I was, and felt surprised to know I did. I was stood in front of the school building, locked up for the weekend of course, but suddenly I wanted nothing more then to get into that school. I managed to find a door that hadn't been locked properly by the custodians after the Friday-night cleanup, and slipped into the vacant halls. It was quiet and brought a comforting solitude and stillness. I wandered around for a few minutes before deciding to go into the Auditorium, sitting down in one of the chairs after turning one of the lights on. It's odd how a lot of lights are always left on in the school even when it's closed.

I curled up in the old, green-apolstered seat, my body shivering from being cold and wet; I had left my jacket at home. Suddenly, I felt more alone then I had ever felt before, but I never cried; I just curled up into my little ball of misery and stared at the ancient, wooden stage. My blood was forgotten, even though my finger was still bleeding slightly, and my mind started to break, leaving my body to try and catch it. Everything seemed fuzzy… so fuzzy…. I just wanted to sleep. My eyelids felt heavy as they closed, but I was soon pulled out of my sleep, or would it be daze, by a hand on my shoulder. The grip was firm, yet soft, but it still caused me to pull away immediately, my eyes shooting open fearfully. The green eyes that met mine weren't blurred for a second, and I knew they weren't another illusion. "Gaara…" I could just barely hear my own voice, as usual, but it seemed to break him from his own daze of staring into my eyes. He immediately took off his black sweatshirt and put it around my shoulders, sitting down in the seat next to me and pushing up the broken armrest so I could uncurl a bit. Surprisingly, my body never once objected; not as he gently guided my head to rest in his lap, or when he started to gently, and almost protectively, pet my hair.

I could feel his clothes were a bit damp as well, although not as bad as mine, he had also been out in the rain for a while. _Had he been looking for me?_ I looked up at him slowly, not moving so much to disrupt his actions, and saw how much he had been worried about me. _Why?_ I didn't understand my own emotions; I certainly didn't understand his, but it seemed that I liked what he was doing. I liked feeling his warmth, and his gentle touch against my hair and skin. I may not have known why, but I didn't care about that anymore. I felt my thin fingers clutch his jeans, as though to prevent him from suddenly disappearing; I knew that couldn't happen, or maybe, in fact, it could. I closed my eyes to try and block out all the pain and memory; all the things I never wanted to feel because of him. I couldn't let anyone get so close again; I'd lose them again. But I found out I couldn't help it; we were close to each other, and that wasn't going to change. He never spoke; never pried, and I was grateful.

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I might actually eventually take the time to write something after this. lol I do have something planned, but I couldn't make this the never-ending chapter so, this was a good spot to stop. Remember to review! 


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